Showing posts with label Traditional. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Traditional. Show all posts

Monday, January 31, 2011

Traditional Food of Honduras

It is amazing that this great country of Honduras which is very poor can still produce some of the greatest tasting recipes. Some of the more traditional food of Honduras includes tortillas, fried beans, bananas or papayas, eggs and usually some type of veggie. It is known that in this country most of the traditional food of Honduras is grown right there so they do not have to import a lot of foods. Fruits, vegetables and meat are usually all butchered and homegrown for each family.

This country tends to take some of the recipes from Mexico and put their own Honduras twist on it, so if you like Mexican food and you are looking for something newer and healthier, then you may want to give some traditional food of Honduras a try. Because most of the food of this country is homegrown and not imported, using the freshest possible vegetables, fruits and other ingredients is very important and will make all the difference in taste. Organic is the way to go when it comes to preparing this type of authentic food.

Desserts Food

The baleada is another traditional food of Honduras and is a staple in the country. Basically, a baleada is a flour tortilla which is folded in half and filled with refried beans and cheese and then topped with sour cream. In essence, this dish is what Americans call a quesadilla. A baleada is a great dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner it is all on how you prepare it. Many people will add roast meat (chicken or pork, red meat is not allowed in a lot of Honduran dishes) for dinner and scramble up some eggs to have in it for breakfast.

Naturally, these are not the only traditional food of Honduras, there are many soups that have made an appearance in this country and are a great way to start or end a meal. For instance, a great bean soup can compliment a dinner of tacos amazingly well, or if you are a person who enjoys seafood, the Honduran's have come up with a fantastic seafood soup that is a little bit spicy and sweet. Most of the soups, as a known fact are complimented by corn tortillas which you can dip into the soup.

So as you can see, some of the most traditional food of Honduras is fantastic, tastes great and is very healthy for you! Whether you are making this meal specifically for you or you are cooking for a big family, you will have a great time not only preparing this meal but also eating it! Just be sure that you have some water around, for a lot of the traditional food of Honduras is spicy!

To try out some traditional food of Honduras such as quesadillas, fried plantain, salsas, chismol, bronzed tilapia, conch soup, coconut bread and many, many more, check out these Honduran recipes.

Traditional Food of Honduras

Margaret Assor is an enthusiast of ethnic cookery and an advocate of boredom free kitchens. If you want to try out some of the exotic Honduran recipes, visit her website at www.RecipesForHonduranFoodsInEnglish.com

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Saturday, January 15, 2011

Traditional Food in Venezuela - Amazing Variety

Venezuela has a variety of dishes that are simply exquisite! They are a mixture of native traditional and European dishes. Most if these dishes include fishes and seafood. Also corn, which is common to most countries at the north of South America, is part of their culinary tradition. Most of their food is fried or baked meats and fishes, usually served with rice. But however they are done, they are always especially tasteful.

Yuca (cassava), potatoes, rice, sweet potatoes and corn are part of their daily diet. Sorghum is actually being used in their kitchens too. And of course a great variety of vegetables, but the most incredible variety is in their fruits; you can find all kinds of tropical fruits, always delicious.

Desserts Food

It can be said that the Venezuelan food is rather simple and very good flavored, even though it has its native, African and European roots, they managed to create their own distinctive cuisine. Either if you try their beef or chicken recipes, you must keep in mind that also goat recipes coming from different regions are very tasteful.

If we speak of fishes, they have an incredible amount of fishes and seafood of all sorts, prepared wonderfully. Remember that the Venezuelan food is famous for its great smell; the Venezuelan dishes are always very aromatic, as they are sprinkled with different spices, all of them with a delicious smell, such as saffron, oregano, and cumin.

They can have exotic names like Guasacaca, Hallaca, Tequenos but they are in all cases part of a cuisine where flavors, and colors, and delicious smells, are unique. And we must remember that each region has its own special cuisine. We have in the Andes region: El Mute, in the Trujillo region: Ajiceros, in the Plains: beef and veal, fishes in the west regions, in the Falcon region, dishes prepared with goats. The same thing goes for their desserts, which are very sweet and rich always, and finally a cup of the excellent coffee in Venezuela will complete a delicious meal in that beautiful country.

Traditional Food in Venezuela - Amazing Variety

The food of South America is full of interesting flavors and recipes, learn more about them visiting http://www.foodofsouthamerica.com

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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Traditional Food of Honduras

It is amazing that this great country of Honduras which is very poor can still produce some of the greatest tasting recipes. Some of the more traditional food of Honduras includes tortillas, fried beans, bananas or papayas, eggs and usually some type of veggie. It is known that in this country most of the traditional food of Honduras is grown right there so they do not have to import a lot of foods. Fruits, vegetables and meat are usually all butchered and homegrown for each family.

This country tends to take some of the recipes from Mexico and put their own Honduras twist on it, so if you like Mexican food and you are looking for something newer and healthier, then you may want to give some traditional food of Honduras a try. Because most of the food of this country is homegrown and not imported, using the freshest possible vegetables, fruits and other ingredients is very important and will make all the difference in taste. Organic is the way to go when it comes to preparing this type of authentic food.

The baleada is another traditional food of Honduras and is a staple in the country. Basically, a baleada is a flour tortilla which is folded in half and filled with refried beans and cheese and then topped with sour cream. In essence, this dish is what Americans call a quesadilla. A baleada is a great dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner it is all on how you prepare it. Many people will add roast meat (chicken or pork, red meat is not allowed in a lot of Honduran dishes) for dinner and scramble up some eggs to have in it for breakfast.

Naturally, these are not the only traditional food of Honduras, there are many soups that have made an appearance in this country and are a great way to start or end a meal. For instance, a great bean soup can compliment a dinner of tacos amazingly well, or if you are a person who enjoys seafood, the Honduran's have come up with a fantastic seafood soup that is a little bit spicy and sweet. Most of the soups, as a known fact are complimented by corn tortillas which you can dip into the soup.

So as you can see, some of the most traditional food of Honduras is fantastic, tastes great and is very healthy for you! Whether you are making this meal specifically for you or you are cooking for a big family, you will have a great time not only preparing this meal but also eating it! Just be sure that you have some water around, for a lot of the traditional food of Honduras is spicy!

To try out some traditional food of Honduras such as quesadillas, fried plantain, salsas, chismol, bronzed tilapia, conch soup, coconut bread and many, many more, check out these Honduran recipes.




Margaret Assor is an enthusiast of ethnic cookery and an advocate of boredom free kitchens. If you want to try out some of the exotic Honduran recipes, visit her website at www.RecipesForHonduranFoodsInEnglish.com

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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Learn The Art of Making Traditional Asian Desserts - Malay Kuih

Firstly allow me to clear the misconception of Asian definition when it comes to food. If there is such a thing as American cheesecake or British bread pudding, or Australian Carrot Cake, there is indeed no such thing as Asian Dessert anything. There are however a multitude of desserts across different ethnic groups in Asia.

So you can imagine how rich the Asian food culture is, if you collectively identify them as Chinese, Malay, Japanese, Indian, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese, Indonesian, Arabic, Philippines etc. Each culture carries with it a totally different tradition and heritage and this is reflected in their desserts as well.

Desserts Food

One particular "Asian" dessert that is little known amongst Westerners are the traditional Malay kuihs. These are delightful chewy and rich desserts that are made from natural ingredients like tapioca flour, sweet potato flour, bananas, palm sugar, coconut milk, glutinous rice etc. There are more than 100 different types of Malay kuihs and these recipes emerged and came from the Indonesian and Malay villages. I grew up with these kuihs and used to watch my grandmother lovingly prepared her goodies over the stove and delighted in feeding us those delectables. She too learned the skill from her homeland in Sumatera Indonesia before she migrated to Singapore.

In those days, the womenfolk discovered resourceful ways to make their desserts and snacks from natural ingredients or whatever they grew in their garden and grew on trees. These kuihs were steamed mostly, sometimes grilled - baking was nonexistent because they not only did not have any oven, electricity was scarce. Besides sweets, there are also savoury version which is often eaten or served during tea time.

Today kuihs are such popular desserts in Southeast Asia mainly inSingapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Yet very few people know the secrets of making kuihs as many recipe books are written in English. Some recipes are available on the internet. I know of many Western friends or those living in the west, who would regularly request for translated version from me. In this part of the world, it is quite easy to find these desserts from the wet market to hotels and restaurants. Many of the recipes have been simplified and subsitutes are introduced for eg fullcream milk is used instead of coconut milk.

Many locals make their living from selling these kuihs as there are more people willing to eat than to learn the art of making these traditional and delicious desserts. The Malays knew the secrets to make these kuihs differently from other desserts through the use of banana and pandan leaves for fragrance and colour, through use of combined flour to give contrasting tastes and use of palm sugar melted like cheese to heighten the eating sensation.

If you love baking and cooking, you will enjoy learning the art of making this "Asian" dessert which belongs to the Malay or Indonesian ethnic group. While Asians are familiar with western desserts, and enjoying a wonderful choice of desserts, the westerners are yet to discover a whole new world of desserts which can be quickly learned and easily made. Not to mention, to impress the entire neighbourhood!

Learn The Art of Making Traditional Asian Desserts - Malay Kuih

Click the link to get your free Malay kuih recipes and view the pictures and video.

Noraini Maskuri is an advertising professional who is also trained in bakery, a food enthusiast and likes to share her love for east/west cooking and baking. Visit her blog at http://www.mycookery.com/blog and download a free chicken cookbook as well.

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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Traditional Ethnic Asian Desserts - Malay Kuih

My Singaporean friend who now lives in California constantly talks about food back home, and home is Singapore. She loves her foods, and having lived there for more than five years, she discovers there are few precious foods which cannot be found anywhere in California or elsewhere in US.

One of the things she misses and hopes many Americans will discover is this exotic traditional sweet and savoury dessert group called Malay Kuih. Originating from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, Malay kuih recipes were exported from the deep villages and brought to life and popularized now in big cities and hotels and restaurants.

Desserts Food

Yet the art of making these kuihs is still elusive to many people, that goes for Asians as well. These gooey and delicious desserts are still not known to people in the US or Europe and it is such a pity such glorious foods are hidden from a population who loves desserts.

Most of us in Southeast Asia are familiar with western cakes, puddings and brownies and we often have a wide selection of desserts of east/west to choose from to satisfy our sweet tooth. If only our desserts are known in the west, more people will learn to make them and impress their family and friends. This also makes for a great and new potluck idea.

It is totally different from the western desserts and yet achieves similar gratification. The creative use of colours and fragrance from banana or pandan leaves make these kuihs distinctive and will stand out in a buffet crowd.

Unlike western desserts which use basic ingredients like butter, eggs, plain flour and castor sugar, the Malay kuihs use basic ingredients like flour made from tapioca, green beans, yam, sago and palm sugar and coconut milk. These are mostly steamed, sometimes wrapped in banana leaf. Steaming is not the only way to do it these days, as these kuihs emerge from the deep villages, new recipes have been created and baked instead of steamed.

Furthermore, western desserts are mostly sweet whilst these kuih recipes include savouries as well. This can be created from using tapioca flour and coconut milk and then topped with minced meat which has been sauted with spices and garnished with fried onions. These savouries are still called kuihs and yet many Asian eat them for breakfast or light lunch or for high teas. Basically there are no rules when it comes to eating traditional Malay kuihs.

These ingredients and method of baking were a result of circumstances where modern amenities were not available to them. So they resourcefully used materials like yam, tapioca or beans and made into flour. Steaming was done on stove using charcoals. Coconut milk was used to achieve rich and gooey results, just like westerners use butter or cheese. It is quite amazing what palm sugar can achieve in terms of taste and colour. And yet the result is equally comforting if not more.

There are more than 100 kuih recipes that are basically made from all these basic ingredients. Through creative use of colours and different combination of flours and use of coconut, these traditional Malay kuihs have certainly left some hearts broken when they leave home.

Traditional Ethnic Asian Desserts - Malay Kuih

Noraini Maskuri is an advertising professional who is also trained in bakery, a food enthusiast and likes to share her love for east/west cooking and baking. Get sample Malay kuih recipes and view the pictures and video here : http://www.kuihrecipes.com

To download a free chicken recipe cookbook, you can help yourself here: http://www.mycookery.com/blog

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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Romania - Traditional Food and Cooking Styles

Romania is a beautiful little country in Eastern Europe in the Balkan region. While living and working there over the years, I have eaten and enjoyed many delicious meals. Meal time in Romania is a very special time. Family and friends come together and may linger long after a meal is over in deep conversation.

The food of Romania is diverse. Food choices and cooking styles are influenced by Balkan traditions as well as German, Hungarian, Turkish, Russian and those of the Near East which includes Israel, Palestine, Jordon, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Some of the traditional Romanian dishes are stuffed cabbage leaves known in the Romanian language as sarmale. Other vegetables cooked and served are stuffed bell peppers (ardei umpluti); green beans (fasole verde); carrots sote (sote de morcovi); roasted peppers (ardei copti); eggplant salad (salata de vinete); and tomato salad (salata de rosii). Potatoes are popular in Romania and are served very often. They are cheap to buy and are sold everywhere in the fall, both in markets and along the streets and highways in front of private homes. There are vegetables and fruits of all kinds and many of them are raised in the country itself.

Pork and lamb are preferred over beef in Romania and pork fat is used for cooking. For Christmas a pig is traditionally butchered by every family and a variety of recipes are used to prepare the meat. One of the popular dishes made from the liver and intestines of the pork is a long sausage called carnati. Another dish is piftie which is made from the feet, head, and the ears and is suspended in aspic. I have seen most of the country and in my travels around I have seen many more sheep and pigs grazing in fields than cattle. Romanians love spicy meatballs made from a mixture of pork and beef. Ghiveci is a Romanian dish which combines meat and vegetables and is baked. Other meat dishes include skewered meat (frigarui); cow tongue with olives (limba cu masline); grilled mince meat rolls (mititei); and chicken cutlet (snitel). At Easter roast lamb is served and also a cooked mixture of intestines, meat, and fresh vegetables called drob in Romanian. Fish from the Danube River and scad from the Black Sea is very important to Romanians. Pollution has widely affected the fishing industry in Eastern Europe and eating fish is not as popular as it once was.

Soups, especially bean soup, is served hot in the winter in Romania and cold soup made with cucumber, yogurt, and walnuts and known as tarator, is made in the summer. Lovage, an unusual herb tasting like celery, is used in Romanian cooking, especially in lamb soup. Soups are usually soured with lemon juice or a dash of vinegar.

Different breads are very popular in Romanian culture and there are many interesting varieties. Cooked cornmeal (mamaliga) is traditional in all of Eastern Europe and is considered the poor man's dish and is a Romanian specialty. It is used with meat or cheese and is called polenta in Italy. It is cooked so long to be thickened and when done can be sliced like bread.

Cheeses of all kinds are very popular with the Romanian people. The generic name for cheese in Romania is branza. Most of the cheese is made from cow or sheep milk.

Desserts are usually crepes filled with fruits or cherry streudel. Other desserts in Romania include baclava, which is sweet layered pastry; sponge cake known as pandispan; rice pudding or orez cu lapte; and gingerbread or turta dulce.

More and more wine is produced now in Romania. In the past religious influences and fifty years of political isolation from market influences kept it from being so. Romanian brandy made with plums grown there is considered to be a national spirit drink and is called tulca. The meal ends with coffee, the strong thick Turkish style coffee served with dulceata which are soft candies made with apples, plums, or raisins or figs that have been stewed, thickened and rolled into balls, coated with nuts and dipped in rum or other alcohol.

When visiting homes anywhere in Romania the people are friendly and warm and always there is an invitation to share their food.




Virginia McKelvey, PhD.

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Monday, November 22, 2010

Traditional Cuban Dessert Recipes

If you enjoy South American sweet treats, you will love Cuban dessert recipes. A lot of them are similar to easy Mexican recipes for desserts, which you have perhaps already made at some point. Lots of tropical fruits grow in Cuba, including bananas, mango, soursop, pineapple, tamarinds, coconuts and guava, which means that fruity desserts are especially popular.

Well loved Cuban desserts include rice pudding and merenguitos, which are sweet meringue puffs. Torrejas are like French toast. They are sweet fried bread slices served with syrup and raisins. In Cuba, French toast is served for dessert rather than breakfast. Cubans also like to make cookies and pastries using the locally sourced fresh fruit. Fruit turnovers and parfait desserts are really popular there.

Flan, which is also known as creme caramel, is very popular in nearly all Spanish speaking countries, including Cuba and Mexico. This delicious egg custard is flavored with vanilla and has a smooth, silky texture.

An Easy Recipe for Boniatillo

This sweet potato pudding is popular during the holidays in Cuba. The pudding is flavored with cinnamon, cream, lime juice, vanilla and more and everybody will love the delicious flavor of this wonderful and traditional Cuban dessert. Chill it for a couple of hours or serve it hot. It tastes great either way! This recipe makes enough to serve four people.

What you will need:


2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 lbs sweet potato
2 limes
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon or grated cinnamon stick
Water, as needed
How to make it:

Peel and chop the sweet potato and cover it with water in a pan. Add a teaspoon of salt and boil it for twenty minutes or until tender. Drain the potato and mash it using a fork, blender, or food processor.

Peel the limes and save the fruit for another use. Put the peel in a big pan with the brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and two cups of water. Cook the mixture over a moderate heat until it reaches 250 degrees F, stirring it all the time. You will need a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature.

Take out the peel and cinnamon and turn the heat down to low. Add the mashed sweet potato and keep stirring the mixture until it is smooth. Take it off the heat. Beat the cream, butter, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt until smooth, and then add this to the sweet potato mixture.

Cook it over a low heat for a couple of minutes, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla. If the mixture is too runny, you can mix a quarter cup of cornstarch with a quarter cup of water and add this. Divide the sweet potato pudding between serving bowls and garnish each one with a little ground cinnamon.




If you enjoy Cuban food, you will also enjoy making easy Mexican recipes. South American desserts, and Mexican food desserts especially, feature a wide range of delicious ingredients such as chocolate, fresh fruit and more, and they finish off a meal perfectly.

MexicanDessertRecipes.net The Sweet Side of Mexican Food

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Monday, October 11, 2010

Traditional Madagascar Party Menu

A Madagascar party menu can be fun and easy to put together if you find the right recipes. The internet is a big wide world, but never fear we've got some Madagascar recipe ideas for you right here.

Madagascar the island is well known for its palm and date trees. Set out a few bowls of these exotic delights. A dish of candied dates can be quite tasty if done right for the kids Madagascar party. You can also serve the kids some authentic Varenga, a traditional recipe from the island. It's basically a Roasted Shredded Beef. Put the roast beef on a sandwich bun or wrap for the kids with their favorite sauces or cheese. Also serve up a tasty fruit compote for dessert with island fruits like: pineapple, cantaloupe, oranges, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and lots of vanilla.

Varenga

You'll need for this traditional Roast Beef Dish from Madagascar: 4 lbs. boneless chuck, cut in 1-inch pieces, 1 quart water, 2 Tbs. salt, 2 cloves garlic, minced finely, and 1 cup onion, sliced.

Place all of the ingredients, including boneless chuck in a large pot with the water and cover. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 2 hours or until meat can be shredded with a fork. Add water as necessary to keep meat simmering. Remove meat from pot and shred by cutting into thin strips. Place the shredded meat and remaining water/sauce from pot into a greased 9x12 inch baking pan. Roast the meat mix at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until it's browned on top. Can be served with white rice.

This authentic dish from Madagascar can be a real hit at your movie party. Don't forget to pick up plenty of paper plates and napkins for the guests to use while eating. Have a great party!




Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for Madagascar party supplies and fun Madagascar party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Themes including Madagascar Party Supplies to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

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